When Brandon Moreno met Deiveson Figueiredo for the first time at UFC 256, he showcased his impenetrable Mexican fighting spirit.
This coming Saturday, Brandon Moreno returns to action when he headlines UFC Fight Night in Mexico City, taking on former title challenger, Steve Erceg.
Last time out, Moreno bounced back from back-to-back losses when he beat soaring flyweight contender, Amir Albazi.
Ahead of his upcoming fight against ‘Astroboy’, the Mexican is hoping to earn another crack at the aforementioned, Alexandre Pantoja, potentially becoming a three-time flyweight champion.
Throughout his UFC tenure, the 31-year-old has been involved in some classic fights, with his first fight against Deiveson Figueiredo being the most memorable.
Dana White labeled Moreno vs Figueiredo 1 fight ‘greatest in division’s history’
After being cut by the promotion during his first stint in 2016, Moreno was re-signed and eventually worked his way up to a flyweight title shot at UFC 256.
Initially, ‘The Assassin Baby’ wasn’t given much of a chance, entering the fight as a moderate underdog considering ‘Deus da Guerra’s’ dominance in the division.
However, early on in the fight, Moreno showcased that he wasn’t going to be a walkover and began to show his Mexican fighting spirit.
After a close opening two rounds, the Mexican was given even more hope in round three when the Brazilian champion was deducted a point for a low blow.
The final two rounds produced more fireworks with the two flyweights giving everything in the fight, with nothing separating them. The fight ended in a draw after a five round war, which resulted in UFC boss, Dana White labelling it as the ‘greatest in the division’s history’.
“It’s funny because leading up (to the fight Moreno) was telling everybody that his hero is Julio Cesar Chavez and that’s who he wants to (replicate),” White stated in the post-fight press conference.
“These two are seriously f—— savages, both of these guys are absolute savages, incredible performance. Tonight we put on a potential greatest fight ever in the division’s history,” White continued.
Brandon Moreno helped save the UFC flyweight division
Not long before Moreno and Figueiredo’s first meeting, the UFC were seriously considering disbanding the 125lb division.
Following Demetrious Johnson’s shock exit from the promotion, it seemed as though the division was only going in one direction.
Despite that, ‘The Assassin Baby’ and Figueiredo’s competitive rivalry reignited an interest in the division with them going on to fight three more times, making history as the only fight in the promotion’s history to happen four times.